Results 16,261-16,280 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Other Questions: School Enrolments (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Schools are entitled to a voluntary contribution and many parents are happy to pay it if they are in a position to do so. Of the 730 post-primary schools, only 55 are fee charging. There are no proposals to increase this number. In fact, inquiries are being made by some fee-charging schools as to whether they will enter the free education scheme. Under no circumstances can a school in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am informed by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that overall the grant process has been running considerably more efficiently and SUSI has been meeting its targets in respect of processing grants on schedule in 2013/14. I understand that SUSI has awarded a total of some 40,000 student grants, both new and renewals, up to end-October 2013. As at close of business on 24th November,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Tá mo Roinnse lán-tiomanta d'fhorfheidhmiú na Straitéise 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge. Tá staidéar déanta ar mholtaí na Straitéise. Tá raon de bheartais, a eascraíonn as miontaighde agus comhairliúchán, curtha i bhfeidhm lena chinntiú go bhfuil na modhanna is éifeachtaí teagaisc in úsáid chun tacú le...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The position regarding the working hours of full-time SNAs is as outlined in the standard SNA contract of employment which was implemented in 2005. Full-time SNAs are required to work for the normal school hours in their school, and in addition to be available for a period of time before and after school. The specific hours of work are set locally by the school management and will vary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Education Research Centre (ERC) is conducting an ongoing evaluation of DEIS on behalf of my Department. The ERC has already completed two reports based on achievement testing, both focused in the Primary School Sector. This second report was published together with two Inspectorate reports on planning in DEIS Primary and Post-Primary Schools in January 2012. The ERC is finalising a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory role under the EPSEN Act to conduct, commission and publish research in relation to matters regarding the provision of educational services for persons with special educational needs. I welcome the research report from the NCSE and think it will be an important contribution to the future development of policy in this important...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Expenditure supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs in 2013 is some €1.3bn, which represents approximately 15% of the entire budget of my Department. These resources have been protected despite the ongoing severe financial position and a requirement to make expenditure savings across a range of areas. This level of expenditure includes provision for 10,575 Special Needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has established a Working Group to develop a proposal, for consideration, for a new model for the allocation of teaching supports for children with Special Educational Needs, based on profiled educational needs of schools. Mr Eamon Stack, the NCSE Chairperson and former Chief Inspector in my Department, has been appointed to chair this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Disputes (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 110, 112 and 124 together. The context of the Haddington Road Agreement was the need to address the major and unprecedented financial difficulties facing the State. At this stage all Public Service unions, with the exception of ASTI have accepted the terms of this Agreement. The position now is that ASTI members have not accepted the Agreement and are not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: A new apprenticeship model was introduced in September 2012 for all new registrations of Aircraft Mechanic apprentices by the Air Craft Industry. This will include apprentices spending a continuous period of 35 weeks in the Dublin Institute of Technology in respect of phase 4 of the apprenticeship programme. This phase 4 is an amalgamation of phases 4 and 6 under the previous system. No...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating Special Needs Assistants to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE published details of its first round of SNA allocations for schools in June of this year. The closing date for receipt of appeals in respect of these allocations was 30th September 2013. The NCSE made a second round...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The NCSE is responsible for allocating SNA support to schools, taking into account the assessed care needs of qualifying children. Access to SNA support is sanctioned based on a child's assessed continuing care needs, regardless of whether they attend a special needs unit or a mainstream school setting. I am advised by the NCSE that they do not retain the data requested by the Deputy. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Haddington Road Agreement Negotiations (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The position is that the scheme of Supervision and Substitution, which included a payment of €1,769, can be changed in one of two ways. The first is by putting in place a collective agreement. This occurred in the case of TUI and INTO, as a consequence of which their members have available to them the various Government commitments under the Haddington Road Agreement, in particular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As part of Budget 2014, it was decided that FÁS would cease the payment of part of the Annual Student Contribution on behalf of apprentices attending the Institutes of Technology as part of the Apprenticeship Programme. This Budget is independent of the review of the broader funding arrangements for apprenticeship by the Apprenticeship Review Group, but is intended to specifically...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Administration (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Home Tuition is provided to children who are unable to attend school or are awaiting a suitable educational placement and for pre-school children with autism. The qualification requirements for tutors providing home tuition to children have not changed. It remains the case that Home tutors should be fully qualified teachers. When it is not possible to recruit a fully qualified teacher then...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The overall level of learning support and resource teaching for pupils with special educational needs in primary schools have not been cut. This year the number of resource teaching posts allocated to schools by the NCSE increased from 5,265 posts to over 5,700 posts. In addition, there are also over 5,000 permanent learning support posts allocated across the school system, including over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Administration (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The service referred to by the Deputy is one element of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) and meets an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making inquiries about their grant applications. In some cases, applicants may opt not to use the established...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Education Act 1998 requires that every school, other than a school established or maintained by an Education and Training Board, must keep accounts of monies it receives and of the expenditure of such monies and that such accounts are properly audited or certified in accordance with best accounting practice. The Act provides that such accounts must be made available for inspection by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Haddington Road Agreement Savings (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision of the previous Government which reduced pay scales and allowances for new entrant public servants which took effect on 1 January 2011 had primarily two effects on new entrant teachers, reducing their pay by 10% and also requiring that new entrants start at the first point of the salary scale. The Haddington Road Agreement included a provision to address the imbalance that has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (26 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Pupils with Down syndrome who have a Mild General Learning Disability, in addition to mainstream class teaching support, also receive support from Learning Support Teachers allocated to schools by my Department through the General Allocation Model. Those pupils who are assessed as having a more significant, Moderate or Severe General Learning Disability receive an individual allocation of...